According to estimates by Boeing and Airbus, the aviation industry will need about 790,000 trained additional pilots over the next 20 years. Both greatly enhance services such as training. The Canadian training company CAE or L3 Technology are equipping themselves with new flight simulators to benefit from training needs. How is Lufthansa Aviation Training, the world’s number 1 in Aviation Training, prepared for this? Visionsblog.info spoke with Managing Director / CEO Ola Hansson.
Visionsblog.info: Mr. Hansson, according to Boeing and Airbus about 790 000 trained additional pilots will be needed in the next 20 years. The Canadian training company CAE or L3 Technology are equipping themselves with new flight simulators to benefit from training needs. How is Lufthansa Aviation Training, the worldwide number one in Aviation Training, responding to this huge demand?
Ola Hansson: Lufthansa Aviation Training (LAT) is currently developing its training fleet at an above-average rate, both in the field of Full Flight Simulators, FlightNinePT (CIP) and Cabin Emergency Evacuation Trainers (CEFs) and other equipment. In addition, LAT plans additional infrastructure extensions. The flight school locations of the European Flight Academy – the aviation school of Lufthansa Aviation Training – were equipped with new fleets. At the Goodyear / Arizona site, the existing Beechcraft Bonanza training aircraft have been replaced by 25 state-of-the-art Cirrus SR20 aircraft. At the LAT-Training locations Grenchen (Switzerland) and Rostock-Laage five twin-engine Diamond DA-42 aircraft are in operation since this year.
Visionsblog.info: Do you already feel that demand is increasing?
Ola Hansson: This year alone, about 500 new pilot students and 130 flight attendant basic courses start their training. This is the highest value in the history of LFT / LAT. Similar numbers are expected in the coming year to meet the needs of the airlines of the Lufthansa Group and external partner airlines. We do not exclude that these numbers are even increasing.
Visionsblog.info: In the ranking of ‘Aviation Voice’, a global aviation news provider, Lufthansa Aviation Training ranks first with 9.8 points, ahead of providers from Canada and the USA. CAE ranks second with 9.5 points. How strong is the competition with the subordinate providers and what does this competition look like?
Ola Hansson: As a LAT, we offer a globally unique product: training at the highest level coupled with the largest airline group in the world, the Lufthansa Group. Our goal is to set standards in the industry. With our guiding principles “best practice” and “train smart-fly safe” we have an optimal product on the market. We are and will remain highly attractive.
Visionsblog.info: Who is among your most important customers?
Ola Hansson: The 14 Airlines of the Lufthansa Group (mainly Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Eurowings)
Visionsblog.info: Is it sufficient for LAT, as one of the best provider in the world, to offer the trainings only in Europe – better only in Germany and Austria?
Ola Hansson: The European Flight Academy is oriented far beyond the borders of Germany and Austria. We are also the market leader in Switzerland. With our ATPL product we offer training to the high standards of the LH Group, which does not require the German language. Our main recruiting market is Europe, where we are currently experiencing strong growth, well beyond the DACH area (Germany, Austria, Switzerland).
Airlines such as Emirates and the Australian Qantas Airways had to leave aircraft on the ground in recent months because training provided for bottlenecks. The demand for pilots and pilot trainings is enormous. jwm
Ola Hansson, Managing Director / CEO of Lufthansa Aviation Training (LAT) since 2018, is Swedish and served two years as an officer in the Royal Swedish Navy in 1982.
In 1988 he graduated from the LHT in Lund / Sweden with the Master of Technology. He began his career in the Lufthansa Group in 1992 as a pilot at Swissair and Swiss. In 2011 he became Swiss Fleet Chief of Airbus long-haul aircraft A330 and A340. Since 2010 he has worked as a training captain for Swiss International Airlines and since 2015 as a captain on the Boeing 777-300ER.